Abramoff shopped Bush photos, Newsweek reporter says (Isikoff)

[sabra]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Abramoff_shopped_Bush_photos_Newsweek_reporter_0124.html

Abramoff shopped Bush photos, Newsweek reporter says
RAW STORY


From Thinkprogress -- Excerpted because site wasn't coming up. Video at link.

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Over the weekend, Time magazine and the Washingtonian both reported on five photos of President Bush with Jack Abramoff, but neither publication revealed its source.

Yesterday, ThinkProgress laid out the case for why the source for the photos was likely Abramoff himself. Last night, our hunch was confirmed.

Appearing on MSNBC, Newsweek correspondent Michael Isikoff reported that it was indeed Abramoff who floated the photographs to Washingtonian.

ISIKOFF: As a general rule, if you’re the president … you don’t like pictures out there of you with convicted felons. It sounds like … there’s at least one picture of him with at least one convicted felon and another indicted, so it’s probably not a picture the White House is eager to have out there. The other interesting aspect of this is, while the White House hasn’t put these out, Jack Abramoff has clearly shown them to people. I don’t know anything about Time sources, but I do know that he showed them to Washingtonian magazine, which suggests he may be playing a little bit of a game here. He has, of course, pled guilty already to the Justice Department. But it does raise a question in my mind at least as to whether Abramoff is maybe sort of sending some sort of signal out here: “Hey, I’ve got this stuff.” Maybe he wants something from somebody at the White House, or he wants someone at the White House not to do something, and just sort of subtly playing with people here.

[Straight Shooter]

1. Ah hahahahahaha!

Typical Repub behavior, exploit everybody and anybody, loyalty be damned. :7

[MagickMuffin]

37. loyalty comes with a price

let the bidding begin :popcorn:

After all, all the money he stole he is penniless, just like DeLay BugBoy he doesn't have any money to defend himself so he set up a fund for people to donate too. It's kinda funny alot of the people who donated are the ones he financed thru his PAC's.

My representative was given $5k, and she donated $5k to BugBoy's legal defense fund.:eyes:

[henslee]

2. Jack has ka=hone-eees.

[AuntiBush]

20. What Can We Expect from a Hardnosed Criminal

It's part of their culture of corruption.

[Gman]

3. File this under "No honor among thieves"

Abramoff will burn anyone he has to now and he just proved it.

[antonialee839]

9. Let the wild rumpus start!

:popcorn:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. Beautiful!

Nothing like watching Repugs eat their own!

[tmooses]

5. Just Jack being a true capitalist.

n/t

[EST]

6. I would imagine the most shocked little universe

in existence was that surrounding Abramoff, finding himself besieged but confidently waiting for the cavalry, and waiting...and waiting.
His boast of being able to deliver the goods on up to sixty of his fellow miscreants seemed, at the time, calculated to evoke a rescue mission, instead it prompted a gigantic, self protective swirl of cover-up, distancing and evidence obfuscating. I'm sure he enjoyed the game he was playing, while he played it, and that's good because, absent a presidential pardon, there's not going to be a lot of enjoyment in his universe for a while.

Even with a pardon, the various state charges should keep him from being bored.

[Tippy]

27. Wonder if there are any pictures of Jack and Bush at the ranch...

This could be Jack's ace in hole...On can sorta explain away pictures at the WH...At the ranch however, would be a whold new ball game.

[hvn_nbr_2]

7. Blackmailing for a pardon? n/t

[drm604]

23. That's exactly what I was thinking.

If true, then he probably won't settle for a cash payment no matter how high. We need other photos (they almost certainly exist) so that his become useless as blackmail material.

[ShockediSay]

8. Shopping for a pardon

maybe, if not a commutation

[f-bush]

10. I hope all these wing nut idiots eat each other alive!

[wordpix2]

19. hahahaha, as I suspected, Jack wants wingnuts and * to rescue him

" I am a Pioneer, Georgie, aren't you coming to rescue me?"

Instead, it's each crook for himself

[f-bush]

33. of course that's what he wants

but just watch, it'll like a bunch of rats deserting a sinking ship and I'll be LMAO!

[EFerrari]

11. Duh. You can hear the deals being cut n/t

[LynnTheDem]

12. How're the RWnuts gonna claim those pics "fakes" now?

Oh wait, I know! Abramoff is really a librul disguised as a rightwingnut and did all this and the pics just to make bush look bad!

[radfringe]

13. load of crap

"As a general rule, if you’re the president … you don’t like pictures out there of you with convicted felons.

but at the time of the pics - Abramoff wasn't a convicted felon. Did the bushies look into a crystal ball and see into the future that Abramoff would become a convicted criminal?

in any event - if the pics were photoshopped, expert examination would be able to prove it one way or another.

this is more butt-covering folks

[rodeodance]

14. Regardless--the WH strategy not to release it causing a bigger stir--won-

der who is charge up there?

[rodeodance]

15. I heard Scott was NOT asked about the photos at yesterday's press-

conference. damn.

[Caretha]

16. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face while I read this article

He just sent all the Republicans involved a clear message. "Everything is for sale folks".



:rofl:

[Kber]

22. ..

more like "Everything is Still for sale."

[0007]

17. Is Jack is pissed?

Pissed at junior for not pulling strings and bailing him out of trouble and the spotlight. Who knows?
Is KKarl up to his old tricks again?

Or is this the way one blackmails another into suicide? Which BTW may be beneficial to the crime cabal.

Red Flags are jumping out all over the place these days, eh?

[Toucano]

18. This helps Bush.

As long as people are talking about the pictures, they're not talking about the crimes.

The more questions there are about the pictures, the fewer questions Scotty has to answer about insert significant scandal here.

[rocktivity]

21. The pictures help--they establish Bush and Scottie as LIARS

Scottie's on record as saying as Bush and Jack never met. Did George tell you that, Scottie, or did you make that up yourself?

George is on record has saying he doesn't remember Jack. They've met an average of once a year. Is your short-term memory THAT bad, George, or are you so narcissitic that you'll lie to protect yourself with no regard to the consequences?

:headbang:
rocknation

[revolutionrock]

24. Democrats should get together and buy them.

[BlueInPhilly]

25. You mean this photo?

(From David Letterman: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/exclusives/wahoo/)

[DemonFighterLives]

26. Poor Jack finds himself all alone out in the cold

First they claim to not know you, then they play ya the fool and then suicide is in the cards.
Jack made one big mistake in thinking that dubco would go to bat for him. not happening.

Reveal all Jack and get some big protection- no small planes or building taller than one floor.
:freak:

[trapper914]

28. Smells Like A Setup To Me

If they are indeed "clicks," as was the indication given by the TIME report, Bush can use the excuse that he takes thousands of those pictures, but doesn't really know the people he's photographed with. If the photos become the story, and the photos do prove to be "clicks," you can forget about the MSM following up on Bush's involvement of Abramoff...just like the Bush TANG story. Once CBS used the "questionable" document, the story was done...didn't matter that CBS didn't need that document to make their case.

Makes you wonder if phone records will show some calls between Rove and Abramoff over the course of the past week or 10 days.

[zann725]

29. Or maybe he just wants to stay alive. Keep "everything" out there...

At this point, he doesn't need any 'accidents.' Keep talking, Jack. Keep sendng pics and, well...any ol' evidence you have lying around...particularly about the Ohio EF buy-out. THAT we Dems (and this country) would thank you forever for. Talk on... show on...

[confludemocrat]

36. Bush crime family might still have their own "Jack Ruby" to take him out

waiting in the wings and this may instead have spurred them on

[jazzjunkysue]

30. Isikoff is quite reliable and has a rep to uphold. It's gotta be true.

In their crime family, it's a badge of honor to have pics of you with the boy king, so, it's a little balm for the savaged ego. I believe it. He might also get some leverage with the threat out there. He can release them one at a time. That should buy him alot of consolation prizes and a few judges. Let's hope the family doesn't have any photos of their own of the sentencing judge with anyone other than his wife and kids.....

[donkeyotay]

31. Now that the moral majority have restored dignity and honor to the WH

are we seeing the CEO president being blackmailed? Seems like Abramoff wants protection, and if not that a pardon. What a miserable failure. Worst President Ever.

He has, of course, pled guilty already to the Justice Department. But it does raise a question in my mind at least as to whether Abramoff is maybe sort of sending some sort of signal out here: “Hey, I’ve got this stuff.” Maybe he wants something from somebody at the White House, or he wants someone at the White House not to do something, and just sort of subtly playing with people here.

[NYC Liberal]

32. Funny, because Bush is a convicted felon as well!

[Julius Civitatus]

34. Republicans eat their own

They never forget, either, and are very willing to backstab each other whenever events turn.

[confludemocrat]

35. He's shoppping for a promise of a PARDON, obviously and

they will get that promise to him through their criminal network.